However, Kuroha Akira also knew this method carried significant risks. After all, just letting Shinomiya Shion catch a glimpse of the Class Rep yesterday had caused localized gravitational distortion around the house. Bringing her to school? That was practically a death wish.
But Kuroha Akira felt that another reason Shinomiya Shion liked him so much was related to her current isolation from girls her own age. Right now, Shinomiya Shion was like a device not connected to the local network—she had no other way to understand what boys her age were like. Normally, that kind of information came from conversations with female classmates.
One of the reasons Kuroha Akira had previously wanted Tashiro Kurenai to become Shinomiya Shion's manager was to give her a "bosom friend" at home—someone she could talk to about anything.
But it now seemed this would be impossible to achieve. The other transmigrator dude, was too old for Shinomiya Shion; their interactions were more like an elder caring for a junior. And the original Tashiro Kurenai had social anxiety—forget intimate chats, she hadn't even managed to strike up a proper conversation with Shinomiya yet.
So Shinomiya Shion was still in a situation where she lacked close friends.
Then, was it possible for Shinomiya Shion to become friends with the three members of the Literature Club?
From a long-term perspective, Shirai Shiori would become a writer, and Aizono Moe would become an illustrator. Both of these circles actually belonged to the broader entertainment industry—the same world Shinomiya Shion was aiming for as a voice actress.
Under Kuroha Akira's influence, Shinomiya had also started enjoying anime. He'd lent her novels and manga borrowed from the Literature Club, so she should now have common topics with Shiori and Moe.
Only the Class Rep… Kuroha Akira had trouble imagining her and Shinomiya Shion getting along. For some reason, those two had met for the first time and immediately behaved like natural enemies—completely at odds. If only one of them unilaterally rejected the other, Kuroha Akira might have tried to shift the conflict and help resolve the misunderstanding. But in reality, they mutually disliked each other.
Was it because the Class Rep's aura was too strong? Or because Shinomiya Shion's beauty was too overwhelming?
In any case, if he really wanted Shinomiya to integrate into the Literature Club's circle, he would have to ask the Club President for her opinion first.
So Kuroha Akira tentatively asked.
"By the way, Class Rep, can people from outside the school visit the Cultural Festival?"
"Yes, Akira-kun. Do you have someone you want to invite?"
Kuroha Akira scratched his cheek, hesitated internally for a moment, and finally decided to take the risk and propose it.
"Um… it's… the one you met yesterday. The girl from the host family I'm staying with…"
Kuroha Akira pondered how to introduce Shinomiya Shion's identity. Should he have her pretend to be Granny Kobayashi's granddaughter?
The Class Rep responded with a drawn-out "Oh~" and asked back,
"You mean that doll you're hiding, Akira-kun?"
"…"
Calling Shinomiya Shion a "doll" was the Class Rep going full aggressive mode. Kuroha Akira had only heard her curse once—on the very first day they met. After that, never again. Not even sarcasm. So this insulting term showed just how much the Class Rep disliked Shinomiya Shion.
If Shinomiya Shion disliked seeing other women get along with him because she'd fallen for him… then why would the Class Rep dislike Shinomiya?
The Class Rep didn't seem like the type to be jealous of someone prettier than her. So why?
Although he didn't understand the reason, the Class Rep's attitude reminded Kuroha Akira of an important lesson: absolutely do not lie and fabricate a false identity for Shinomiya Shion now. Instead, he should truthfully explain her background to evoke sympathy.
"I apologize to you on her behalf, Class Rep. Please don't take it too personally. She's just been hurt before, so she's very wary of strangers…"
"Hurt before?"
She took the bait!
Kuroha Akira struck while the iron was hot.
"Yeah. She's like me—temporarily staying with that host family. But unlike me—I came to Tokyo for school—she had a conflict with her family, got kicked out with nowhere to go, and was taken in by Granny Kobayashi."
Almost everything was true, just omitting the fact that Kuroha Akira was the one who brought Shinomiya Shion to Kobayashi in the first place. Girls generally had strong empathy, so mentioning Shinomiya's homelessness should make the Class Rep feel sorry for her.
But the Class Rep's reaction truly baffled Kuroha Akira.
Instead of sympathy, she smiled happily and praised him.
"Is that so… Very good. Excellent. Hehehe~ I'm very satisfied with your explanation, Akira-kun."
"Huh?"
"Because Akira-kun, you didn't lie to me. For example, saying she's actually the granddaughter of that old lady from the host family—an extremely clumsy lie."
"Haha, how would I dare to lie to you, Class Rep…"
Kuroha Akira chuckled on the surface, but inside, he let out a massive sigh of relief. Good thing I didn't lie. If my lie had been exposed, the Class Rep's trust in me would probably have tanked to rock bottom.
"Then, what's her name?"
"Shinomiya Shion."
Upon hearing the name, Asato Hitomi touched her chin thoughtfully.
"Shinomiya… that's quite a rare surname. I wonder if it's related to the Shinomiya Kazuhiro I met when I was little."
"Oh? Class Rep, you also know the Shinomiya surname?"
Earlier, Granny Kobayashi had also reacted to the Shinomiya name, saying there was only one Shinomiya family living in Chiyoda Ward—and they should be very famous.
"Yes. Shinomiya Kazuhiro is a very famous entrepreneur in the Tokyo area. He started from scratch and built Japan's third-largest mobile communication carrier. The most impressive thing is that he had no family backing—he fought his way up from the chaotic era when carriers were fighting for territory. A truly powerful entrepreneur."
"A carrier, actually…"
Kuroha Akira understood very well how terrifying the monsters that controlled communication networks were. Just compare it to the familiar giants—Telecom, Mobile, Unicom. Even the smallest of them was a super-behemoth.
Although Japan's carriers couldn't quite compare to those on the mainland—population differences and all—being the third-largest carrier in Japan still put it among the Big Three. The wealth accumulated by Shinomiya Kazuhiro as the founder must already be astronomical.
This stepfather's background is huge! The Shinomiya surname is no joke! Shion isn't just some ordinary rich girl—she's top-tier rich!
And judging from that phone call earlier, Shinomiya Kazuhiro seemed very fond of Shion, his new daughter. Giving her hundreds of millions of yen as pocket money might be a trivial matter…
Shinomiya Shion… did she even know her current father was this wealthy?
If she knew… would she still work so hard?